Student Government is pushing a plan that will actually evoke change.
Last year it passed the Dead Week bill, but that bill only goes so far as professors must abide by it and cannot be enforced.
This year, though, it is attempting to change Finals Week and institute a Fall Break.
Splitting Finals Week is a good idea, but not just because it gives students a Fall Break. It is a positive change for students and possibly for academic performance.
By splitting Finals Week — starting it on a Thursday and ending it on a Tuesday — it will give students a much needed break in the midst of tough final exams.
Having five finals is stressful enough, but when they are back-to-back it almost becomes impossible. Especially when a student’s grade is on the line, you do not want to give them an unfair disadvantage just because you have another exam the next day.
Professors should be on board with this bill as well. Since all professors are evaluated on how well a student does in class, one could assume they will want their students fresh when their final rolls around.
By splitting Finals Week, students will have the opportunity to have a weekend breather to refocus their minds for the final push.
Despite the obvious positives of this bill, it still has a few fences to leap before it becomes the law. First, passing the Student
Senate will be crucial. If it passes the Student Senate, it will then turn to the Faculty Senate, where it may be more difficult to pass.
SG President Ryan Smith believes it will pass the Student Senate and then head to the Faculty Senate with some momentum.
“It sends a stronger signal when the Student Senate passes (the proposal),†Smith said in a Dec. 9 Kernel article. “Whether it gets passed (Wednesday) night or the first week in January, I’m pretty confident we’ll get something that works with everybody.â€
SG cannot let this bill go without a fight. Smith is confident but there needs to be quick action. Letting this linger into the second semester may hurt the proposal’s chances of passing.
Pass the bill for the sake of students’ academic well being.
As a transfer graduate student I am surprised how Dead Week is anything but dead. Professors have projects due that could not be done throughout the semester (because of other time consuming assignments), tests, and lectures the same as any other week. Who can study for finals when the work load increases for the final weeks of class? My undergraduate school had a split finals week that started on Thursday ended the following week on Wednesday. The Black Out time before finals (Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday before the tests began on Thursday) was reserved for class meetings to discuss the finals only. No tests, no assignments, no large projects due… Black Out was for studying. Everyone was less stressed and able to prepare for finals. I have family and friends who teach at other schools and they are all surprised when I describe the Dead Week workload to them. I hope the split finals bill not only passes but that Dead Week assignment policies are seriously reviewed as well.
How will this plan affect classes that only meet once a week?